Palmer Scouts receive National Arbor Day award

Published: May 17, 2012

(Anchorage, AK) – Boy Scout Troop 367 and Cub Scout Pack 367 from Palmer received an Arbor Day Celebration Award in recognition of representing the spirit of the tree planter’s holiday. The scouts take the lead on making Palmer’s Arbor Day celebration a model for other communities nationwide. Pack 367 has been planning and participating in Palmer’s Arbor Day celebration for 20 years and Troop 367 has been involved since 1999.

The national award was presented to pack leader Duane Robison at the Lied Lodge and Conference Center at the Arbor Day Farm in Nebraska City, Nebraska on Saturday, April 28.

The troop and pack will celebrate Arbor Day at 6:30 p.m. on May 21 at the Pioneer and Veterans Home in Palmer. Matanuska-Susitna Borough Mayor Larry DeVilbiss and Alaska Division of Forestry Deputy Director Dean Brown will attend the celebration to recognize the scouts’ achievement, joining current and previous Pack and Troop members and families. During the event, Bill Jardel, Alaska’s first arborist to be certified by the International Society of Arboriculture, will demonstrate the correct way to plant trees. Jardel is Matanuska Electric’s utility arborist and he has been involved with Palmer’s Arbor Day celebrations from the beginning.

The National Arbor Day Foundation presented awards to 15 other individuals and groups throughout the country in honor of their outstanding contribution to tree planting, conservation and stewardship. More information about the awards can be found on the National Arbor Day Foundation’s website at http://www.arborday.org/programs/awards/2012/?award=celebration